Chestnut and Barley Soup, a hearty mountain soup from Italy’s Aosta Valley .A rustic, comforting dish perfect for cold winter days, easy to make even with precooked chestnuts. Nestled between France and Switzerland, this small mountain region is known for its robust, nourishing cuisine, the kind of food designed to comfort after a day in the cold.
Serves: 2 | Preparation: 20 mins | Cooking : 80 mins
- Pearl Barley: 100 g
- Vegetable broth: 1 l
- Chestnut: 10 (fresh or precooked)
- Potato: 1
- Onion: 1
- Bay leaf: 1
- Peeled Garlic Clove: 1
- Rosemary: 1 sprig
- Butter, unsalted: 20 g
- Nutmeg: ½ tsp
- Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO): 1 tbsp
- Salt and pepper: to taste
Method
If using fresh chestnuts, score a small cross on the flat side of each, then boil them in water for about 30 minutes. Drain, peel, and roughly chop most of them, keeping a few whole for garnish.
👉 If using precooked chestnuts, simply chop them and set aside — no boiling needed.
Heat the vegetable broth and keep it warm. Rinse the pearl barley under cold running water, then pat it dry with a kitchen cloth.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, garlic, rosemary, and bay leaf. Sauté gently until the onion turns soft and golden.
Add the barley to the pan and stir well, toasting it lightly for a few minutes. Start adding a ladleful of hot broth at a time, stirring as you would for a risotto. Allow the liquid to be absorbed before adding more.
Add the diced potato, chopped chestnuts, nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well, cover with a lid, cook over a low heat for 25–30 minutes, adding more broth if the soup becomes too thick.
When the barley is tender, remove the rosemary, garlic, and bay leaf. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Serve hot with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the reserved whole chestnuts for garnish.
(8 votes, average: 4.88 out of 5)
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2 Comments
I cannot wait to try this Fiorenza. I happen to have two jars of cooked chestnuts I was planning to use to make some chocolate/chestnut cookies but I think this is what I will use them for. I live alone so am always glad to make soups/stews that will feed me more than once, freezing in individual batches with great success.
I don’t know if I will be able to find these cooked chestnuts again as I have not seen them in my supermarket in the past months. That said Amazon has become my friend and I did see them there so I am a happy camper knowing I will always be able to have a supply.
I do not know how to convert grams to ounces/pounds/cups, etc. so will wing it.
Again, sincere thanks for sharing recipes, some very familiar to me and others, as this one, new and exciting. At age 82 I am still very eager to learn.
Dear Anna,
what a great energy, your comment and enthusiasm make me very happy!
I’m not a camper, but I think this dish is perfect for the occasion as well as being very healthy.
100 g corresponds to approximately 3.5 oz, about 1 cup
Keep me posted and thanks again for appreciation of my recipes!
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